FRANKFURT,Germany - May 21st, 2012 -Star Alliance, the way the Earth connects, will be showcasing its conventions and meetings travel products at booth G570 at the IMEX trade fair which is being held in Frankfurt, Germany from May 22nd to May 24th, 2012

Having just celebrated its 15th Anniversary, Star Alliance is the longest serving airline alliance and has been offering tailor made products to the meetings industry for nearly a decade.

"The Conventions and Meetings Travel market continues to perform above our expectations said Roswitha Clement, Senior Manager Conventions and Meetings at Star Alliance. “On average we are signing five more Conventions Plus agreements per month as compared to last year. This development has no doubt been helped by the online booking tool which was launched earlier this year. The tool has been very well received by the market with the number of online bookings showing a steady increase. As for Meetings Plus, we have already signed more agreements in first five months of this year than we did in total in 2011."

Star Alliance Conventions Plus provides simplified travel solutions to major event organisers by providing access to the entire Alliance network through one of the member airlines. Delegates and one companion are entitled to fare discounts, depending on the type of fare, class of travel and airline used. In addition, the Alliance also offers an organiser support programme.
For further details on Conventions Plus please see: http://www.staralliance.com/conventionsplus

Star Alliance was the first global aviation Alliance to offer an online booking and ticketing service for convention delegates. Complementing existing traditional fulfilment channels, the new tool was launched in January this year and allows the convention organisers to direct delegates to a dedicated online booking and ticketing site for all air travel contracted under Star Alliance Conventions Plus. Using the online tool, delegates can check real time flight availability, price their required itinerary using the applicable discounted fare, book the corresponding flights and purchase the ticket.

Meetings Plus
Just over two years ago Star Alliance launched Meetings Plus as another global product for the meetings market. Companies and meeting planners needing to organise gatherings with participants from different countries, have access to the entire Star Alliance network and discounted fares, by contracting their travel needs through just one Star Alliance member airline. Meetings Plus can be used for most meetings of 50 people or more, with attendees originating in at least three different countries. For further details or to submit an RFP please see www.staralliance.com/meetingsplus.

About Star Alliance:
The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognised by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Blue1, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAM Airlines, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United and US Airways. Avianca-TACA, Copa Airlines, EVA Air and Shenzhen Airlines have been announced as future members. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers more than 20,500 daily flights to 1,293 airports in 190 countries.